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Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones, who hit a combined 869 home runs (Beltran hit 435, Jones hit 434), were both elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
In his fourth year on the ballot, Beltran received 75% of the votes needed for induction into Cooperstown, finishing with the highest percentage (84.2%) among possible inductees.
Jones had to wait nine years, but it was worth it. He finished with 78.4% of the vote, coming down to the wire to get into Cooperstown and not have to sweat his 10th and final year on the 2027 ballot.
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Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones were both elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images; Timothy Clary/Getty Images)
New York Mets fans’ core memory of Beltran is his strikeout to end the 2006 National League Championship Series, but the nine-time All-Star was a constant force throughout his career. He even made the Midsummer Classic in his penultimate season, hitting .295 with an .850 OPS, 35 home runs and 101 RBIs.
Beltran, a switch hitter, won three Gold Glove Awards while accumulating 2,725 hits, 435 of which were home runs. He also stole 300 bases in his career, making him one of just eight players in MLB history to be in the 300-300 club. Beltran has the fourth most home runs by a switch hitter, behind Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray and Chipper Jones.
He is also one of 39 players to both drive in and score at least 1,500 runs. 32 of those players, including Beltran, are in the Hall of Fame – the other seven who aren’t are either tied to performance-enhancing drugs (Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield, Manny Ramirez) or not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame (Albert Pujols, Miguel). In 65 postseason games, he hit .307 with a 1.021 OPS. Beltran spent seven seasons with both the Mets and Royals and put up nearly identical stats, so it remains to be seen which hat he will wear on his plaque.
While the numbers scream Hall of Fame, it became clear that the voters gave him a self-imposed punishment for his involvement in the Houston Astros’ sign theft scandal. Beltran, who won his lone World Series with the tarnished Houston team in his final MLB season, has been viewed as a mastermind behind the scheme, which cost him the job as New York Mets manager in 2020 before he managed a game. Beltran was the only player on the team directly named by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred when he announced punishments to the organization.
Carlos Beltran of the Houston Astros takes the field during player introductions prior to Game 3 of the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Minute Maid Park on Friday, October 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas. (Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images)
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As for Jones, the Curaçao native is one of four players with 400 home runs and 10 Gold Glove Awards, along with Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Schmidt. Jones led the majors with 51 home runs in 2005, finishing just shy of Albert Pujols for the MVP award.
A five-time All-Star, the outfielder spent 12 of his 17 MLB seasons with the Atlanta Braves and played in 76 postseason games.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones makes a diving catch against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 16, 2005. (Tom DiPace/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The duo, along with Jeff Kent, will be formally inducted into Cooperstown in July. Kent was selected by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee in December.
